Activation of β2-adrenergic receptors on airway smooth muscle leads to the activation of adenylcyclase and to an increase in the intracellular concentration of cyclic-3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP). This increase in cyclic AMP leads to the activation of protein kinase A, which inhibits the phosphorylation of myosin and lowers intracellular ionic calcium concentrations, resulting in relaxation. Levalbuterol relaxes the smooth muscles of the airways from the trachea to the terminal bronchioles. Levalbuterol acts as a functional antagonist to relax the airway irrespective of the spasmogen involved, thus protecting against all bronchoconstrictor challenges. Increased cyclic AMP concentrations are also associated with the inhibition of release of mediators from mast cells in the airway. The chemical name for levalbuterol HCl is (R)-α1-[[(1,1-dimethylethyl)amino]methyl]-4-hydroxy-1,3-benzenedimethanol hydrochloride.
Levalbuterol HCl has been synthesized using a variety of synthetic schemes. For example, Great Britain patent No. 1298494 discloses synthesizing levalbuterol first by crystallizing the alkyl acetate of the 4-carboxylate derivative (Formula 1) using ditolyltartaric acid and isolating the selected crystalline fraction.

Thereafter, the crystal undergoes debenzylation deprotection, followed by ester reduction to yield levalbuterol.
In Chinese patent No. 1,273,966, the salt of (R)-albuterol D-dibenzoyltartaric acid is treated with potassium carbonate in water and an organic solvent, such as ethylacetate. After phase separation and extraction of the aqueous layer, the collected organic layer is dried and levalbuterol free base crystallizes overnight. The crystalline levalbuterol free base is dissolved in anhydrous alcohol, followed by addition of HCl to obtain crystalline levalbuterol HCl. Also, levalbuterol HCl is synthesized by acid displacement from (R)-albuterol D-dibenzoyltartaric acid salt suspended in acetone and the addition of an ether solution of HCl.
Despite the many attempts of the prior art to synthesize enantiomerically pure levalbuterol, still novel synthetic processes for preparing polymorphically pure levalbuterol HCl are needed to reduce the steps necessary for synthesis and purification without sacrificing compound purity.